SCORA: Sexual Health Peer Education in Taipei
Pei-Yu (Ivy) Weng, and Chun-Kai Chang
The SCORAngels from Taipei Medical University organized one of the first sexual health peer education sessions in Taiwan, and it was a huge success. The project was organized at a middle school, focusing on students in 7th grade. Our team of 12 medical students set off, ready to educate 29 middle schoolers on safe sex, gender equality and HIV/AIDs.
The classroom was extremely energetic, excited, and most of all, eager to learn. We got our message across mainly by skits, or plays. With subtle comedic undertones to capture the attention of a highly rambunctious group, we incorporated our main messages in an accessible and understandable manner. The proper use and disposal of condoms was demonstrated, and students were each given a condom to follow along. The activities were extremely hands on – for example, the students were all asked to voice their opinions on various issues regarding gender equality. We also handed out prizes when answering questions as an incentive. Our last activity was a game that simulated AIDs transmission, which also referred to showing respect for AIDs victims.
The entire preparation prior to visiting the middle school took about 1 month. All the time that was invested was completely worth it. Since we were the first university in Taiwan to carry out this activity – with a vision in mind, we practically started from scratch. This meant that we were able to be flexible with our plan, but it also meant we didn’t have materials to base our program on, people to ask should any problems occur, improvements to look at from previous experience. Nonetheless, given that our session was rather experimental, we went ahead giving our all, hoping that our experience would ignite similar activities in different regions all over Taiwan by other SCORAngels from other universities.
Fortunately, we did not experience any significant problems that impeded us from carrying out this peer education session. Perhaps this demonstrated the strength of our team. Perhaps this was all due to efficient communication within our unit. I believe these teamwork strategies were all key elements in making sure that we gave 120% to this cause.
Personally, conducting peer education at this middle school was an extremely valuable and memorable experience. As a local officer, I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish, and seeing the impact we left behind on the middle schoolers further reassured me that we were heading in the right direction. I look forward to seeing other universities in Taiwan carry out peer education, and discussing each and every one of our unique experiences together. This experience has altered the way in which I view the statement making a difference, and has made me see how much change we can make. Gandhi once said that we must become the change we want to see in the world. It is evident that with willpower, commitment and dedication to a cause, there is infinite possibility to what we can do. From a common vision, then finally to reality, the greatest reward was in knowing that this is just the beginning with much more to come!
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